One
by GldStr
Summary: A version of events that might have occurred in the good days of Alex's business.
1. Chapter 1

Despite the cost, travel in Africa is never easy. Alex is reminded of this fact for this umpteenth time as she drops her large, soft-sided brown leather bag on the floor. She presses a button on the wall to close the metal grate that covers the freight elevator cage she just stepped out of and another one to illuminate the interior of the apartment that she keeps in Cape Town.

She had the space remodelled from what used to be an electrical component assembly workshop on the top floor of a building in the older section of the CBD but she kept much of the character intact. The industrial feel of exposed red brick walls, steel beams and the concrete floor was tempered by the clever use of wood, soft furnishings and shaggy rugs.

Moving through the mostly open-plan space, she threw her phone and keys onto the kitchen counter and headed for the shower to rinse off the sticky, dusty residue that the day of heat, dust and several flights in small planes had left on her skin. As she turned on the hot water and stripped off her clothes, she heard her phone beep. "Later" she thought to herself as she stepped in under the water, grateful for the soothing effect it had on her tired muscles.

Stressful as it often was to meet and negotiate with her associates in Africa, it was good to know that the legitimate import- and export business was running well and with some liberal palm greasing, the movement of her other products across borders would be smoother in future too. Recently, she was lucky that the layers of anonymity within the operation had shielded her and those higher up in the food chain when one of her mules was arrested leaving Nigeria – that couldn't be allowed to become a regular occurrence.

Alex threw on a pair of soft linen pants and a white V-neck t-shirt before heading for the kitchen. The cork slipped out of the bottle with a gentle pop and the wine swirled seductively in the glass. She stepped out onto the large patio that ran along two sides of her apartment, glass in hand to watch the sunlight fade and be replaced by the lights of the city. She loved seeing the energy of the city change when the sun set.

As the dark, spicy notes of the Shiraz played over her tongue and the last of the sun's rays faded from the side of Table Mountain, Alex remembered that a text came through earlier. She lazily lifted herself from her chair and walked inside to collect her phone. The coldness of the concrete floor was welcome under her bare feet on this hot February evening.

The message was from Nicky, her wild haired friend: "I know u just got back – come out for a drink, Vause. Café Manhattan 10." Alex hadn't planned on going out but she also hadn't seen Nicky in months. Besides, it would be a shame to pass up on the lovely girls that she often found here, especially on Friday nights. She sat back down outside to finish her glass of wine before changing. She did her makeup and minutes later, slid into the back of a cab.

The quirky bar was full but she was not surprised to see that Nicky had commandeered one of the three saddles mounted as chairs on the short side of the bar, a dark-haired girl laughing at her cowgirl impersonation. She stopped laughing when she noticed the exquisite stranger approaching from the opposite side of Nicky who turned to see what her companion was staring at. "Vause! Welcome back!" she said as she stood up in her stirrups to give the taller woman a hug. She introduced the girl by her side as Abby, who stuttered something incomprehensible, still staring unashamedly at Alex pulling a regular bar stool closer and ordering a bourbon and three shooters from the barman.

A quick scan of the crowd as she entered had told Alex that there were more guys than girls in the bar but that the girls who were there offered enough potential to make it worthwhile coming out tonight. There was a young girl with a modern, short haircut at the end of the bar with a group of friends who looked nothing like the girls that Alex would normally go for but she or almost any of her friends could be fun later on.

Nicky asked the usual set of questions and Alex answered that her trip was fine, that business was going well, that she still had no intention of marrying Nicky and moving to Africa permanently and that she would be in town for three nights before heading back to Europe.

"Join us tomorrow night at an all-girls party in town then, I already have tickets, it will be fun and I can have Jabu pick you up on the way there" said Nicky. The result of the dysfunctional marriage of two very wealthy people, Nicky had use of a mansion that overlooked the entire Camps bay; the house came with a housekeeper, a gardener and a driver who Nicky paid extra for late night driving. Alex always found the contrast between her upbringing and Nicky's blinding, yet, they had been friends for years and truly enjoyed each other's company.

Somewhere between Nicky's joking marriage proposal and her inclusion of Alex in the following night's party, Abby seemed to have got herself into a huff. She glared at Nicky as she got up from her saddle seat. Nicky started protesting when Abby flung her bag over her shoulder but realised almost instantly that it was futile. Abby stormed out and Nicky smiled apologetically at Alex's confused expression. "The young ones are so volatile…" Nicky's words were still hanging in the air as Alex glanced over at the opposite end of the bar where the athletically built girl with the funky hairstyle was sitting, she looked away from her friends as though she could feel Alex's green eyes gazing over the tanned skin of her toned shoulder.

Several bourbons later Alex got up from the bar. She enjoyed the conversation and found Nicky's views on life very entertaining but aside from a drug fuelled, weekend-long encounter about four years earlier in celebration of Nicky's first successful drug run, their relationship was not a physical one. Alex walked off in the direction of the toilets, the only way there was past the group of girls at the end of the bar. Alex turned sideways to make her way past the back of the girl that she had first noticed. As she did, her body momentarily pressed against her back. Nicky watched the scene from afar; she had read Alex's glances and would have won a bet on the outcome. The toilet door had barely closed behind her when Alex heard the thumping of the music become louder again. She was not surprised to see the lean frame of a girl with tanned shoulders appear through the doorway.

"Bold if a bit predictable" Alex thought to her. "Hi" said the girl, "I'm Nikita". "Alex" was the reply. "Your perfume is unusual; can I ask what it is?" "You followed me to the toilets in a gay bar to discuss perfume?" Nikita grinned and conceded "not really". Alex held the cubicle door open and Nikita followed her in, reaching behind her to latch the door shut with her one hand and reaching up slightly for Alex's neck pulling her into a kiss with the other. The taste of bourbon and margaritas collided as their mouths met and Nikita's tongue brushed over Alex's full lips, her hands reached under Alex's shirt but she was pushed up against the wall by the taller woman who undid her jeans with one hand before she could reach her back to unhook her bra. Nikita caught up with the pace quickly and reached down to undo the buttons of Alex's pants instead. As horribly impractical as getting busy in a cubicle is, with the back of slightly shorter woman pressed against her, Alex could reach around Nikita fairly comfortably while Nikita returned the favour by slipping her hand behind her back and in between their bodies. It was not long before Alex covered Nikita's mouth with her own in a kiss to contain her moaning. Nikita turned around and faced Alex to have a more comfortable position from which to push Alex over the edge as well.

Washing their hands before leaving the toilets, Nikita asked Alex if she could see her again. "This can't be more than what it is and if you are sure that you can deal with that, be at my place in an hour." Alex told her the address of her apartment and walked out leaving Nikita behind her with a silly grin on her face.

Returning to her seat next to Nicky who just smiled, shook her head and ordered another round, Alex thought it amusing that a large neon sign against the wall near the toilets displayed the word "COME".


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all - it would be very cool to hear your thoughts on this. Please review. **

**Thanks!**

Nicky had insisted that Alex accept the lift home after they finished their last drinks.

She was only home for about five minutes when the intercom buzzed. The little screen showed Nikita staring right at the lens. Alex told her to take the elevator to the fourth floor before buzzing her in. The rustic elevator rattled to a stop and Nikita stepped out. Alex looked at her from across the apartment. She was pretty with hazel eyes, a soft mouth and a great body.

"Nice place!" Nikita said, looking around, taking the unusual apartment in.

"Thanks" Alex said walking over to where Nikita had just stepped entered, placed her hands on the girl's narrow hips and gently pulling her closer. Nikita felt a rush of butterflies through her stomach as their lips met and she groaned softly into the kiss. She was starting to doubt whether she would be able to abide by the conditions that this electrifying creature had set but she was not about to forego this night for anything. It was clear that Alex was not interested in forming a long-term bond and somehow, she didn't care. There was an urgency carried on from the encounter at the bar and she followed Alex through the kitchen and living area and into the space on the far side of the open floor where a huge bed had a view over the lights of the city and the harbour.

Alex turned around, her green eyes playing over Nikita's body before reaching out and lifting the younger girl's top up over her head exposing her perky little breasts which Alex ran her hands over momentarily before stripping off the younger woman's pants which she stepped out of along with the flip flops she was wearing. It was suddenly glaringly obvious that only one person was naked and Nikita was astonished at how quickly this stranger had managed to get her into so naked and vulnerable – she normally dictated what happened in the bedroom but realised that she had met her match this time while Alex grinned at her and in a her gorgeously deep voice said "well look at you!".

Nikita made a concerted effort not to relinquish all control but shortly after removing Alex's clothes she knew that there would be no holding back when she found herself on her back, on crisp white linen looking into the most beautiful green eyes looking down at her. She studied the lines of the irresistible being towering over her, oddly wondering where she had the tattoo on her arm done. She half sat up, took Alex by the hand and pulled her down onto the bed with her. Their naked bodies were pressed together until Nikita managed to get the dark haired woman onto her back. She shimmied down the length of her body until she could nudge Alex's thigh away with her shoulder to allow unrestricted access to a world that she was dying to explore.

By the time that she had tasted Alex and felt her orgasms constrict the fingers that she had buried as deep as she could in the smooth, warm, wetness of this woman who seemed to make her universe shiver with every little moan of pleasure, she herself was so wet that Alex raised a questioning eyebrow at her when her deft fingers made their way to the younger woman's entrance and she felt just how wet she was. Too mesmerised by the feeling even to blush, Nikita just arched her back and drew a sharp breath as two skilful fingers slid inside her and kept moving with a steady rhythm. Alex's teeth grazed her left nipple – this touch seemed to be amplified as it went from one verve ending to another, triggering the shockwave that was echoed by her second orgasm for the evening.

As the sun rose over the bay, it illuminated the naked figure of a woman fast asleep curled on her side. A dark haired woman was sitting a small distance away, staring at the screen of her MacBook through dark rimmed glasses, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Hey gorgeous – why don't you come back to bed?" came a groggy voice from the far side of the apartment.

"I have some work to do and… we had an arrangement." Mercenary as it seemed to do this; Alex was not going to give the girl a chance to wonder if the rule was still in effect. She could not deal with anyone needing anything more from her than what she could afford to give right now and the gentle intimacy of snuggling up for a morning in bed was way beyond the league in which this encounter was playing. Last night was all about release and for Alex to engage in anything more than that right now would take a miracle.

"Yeah, I have a flight to catch later, I should probably get going." She groaned as she got up, she walked to the bathroom which was separated from the bedroom panels of shutters that could be moved aside, the whole sleeping area could be closed off that way. She rinsed her mouth and washed her face. Put her clothes from the previous night back on and gave Alex a brief kiss goodbye as she stepped into the elevator.

"Where are you flying to?"

"Oh, back home to Jo'burg. It was good meeting you, she said with a grin, maybe our paths will cross again someday"

"Maybe… Have a good flight"

The elevator made its way down the shaft as Alex looked at the time - 7:30. "Too fucking early…"

Another two cups of coffee and a shower later, Alex had finished her emails and headed out for a quick breakfast at the artisan bakery on the corner of her block before returning to laze around the apartment with her book for the day.

She would have to get some sleep before the party she now almost regretted agreeing to go to with Nicky. Whether Abby would be there or not was not clear yet but she would bet on 'not'. Nicky didn't have much capacity for prima donna behaviour, a quality that Alex liked in her. Whenever they got the chance to go out together, it usually turned out to be memorable for one reason or another. What tonight's reason would be remained to be seen.


	3. Chapter 3

_I know it is a short one, and it has been slow - forgive me, the next chapter will be here soon. Thanks for the comments - they are greatly appreciated._

"No, Nicky, thanks but I don't need a feather boa."

"Come on Vause, it's a theme, at least try to go with it."

"Screw the theme, I'm not dressing up and I would take it easy on the corsets in that part of town if I were you."

"Fine." Nicky says in a clipped tone. "Be ready at ten then, we will pick you up".

Alex throws her phone onto her bed as she walks past and climbs into the shower on the far end of her open plan bedroom space. She has been lazing around her apartment all day and she needs to find her party mood before going out tonight.

The party they are going to is one of those monthly events that happens on the last Saturday, the venue in which it is held is around the corner from one of the upmarket "Gentlemen's" clubs and it makes for an interesting mix of people on the street, especially with the party's burlesque them.

Although Alex does not spend as much time in Cape Town as she used to, and she is a little out of touch with the party scene, she has always liked these parties; they usually has a nice mix of girls, some butch, some femme, some sporty and some who you would never have guessed by looking at them that they were gay. The bar service is good and the venue is comfortable and not very far from her place.

Alex shuts off the water and steps out onto the mat where she roughly dries her hair before collecting the rest of the droplets of water from her skin with the towel. She looks through the limited selection of clothes in the wardrobe and takes out a pair of black jeans and a dark top that has short sleeves so as not to cover the tattoo on her arm and it is cut in a way that makes it drape across her body showing off a little bit of cleavage as well as a hint of the salt shaker on her left shoulder. She does some understated makeup, understated until she adds the liquid eye liner that has such a dramatic effect, even when she puts her dark-rimmed glasses back on.

Despite the foolishness of trusting the weather in Cape Town, she leaves her jacket on its hanger and walks to the kitchen to fix herself a drink before drying her hair.

Alex is sitting outside on her wraparound balcony, loving the warm night air and the sounds of the city when the intercom buzzes. It is just after ten. She shuts the door grabs her keys and shoves her phone into her pocket, she has some cash; all good.

It is about a minute after buzzing on the intercom that Nicky sees Alex walk through the front gate to her building. "Hot" she thinks to herself. The Jeep's door opens and unlike most who have to clamber into the high vehicle, Alex just steps onto the running board and slides on in.

"Nice ride." Alex says. "My parents could not figure out what to get me for Christmas so they settled on this – it suits the vibe of this town" Nicky said half apologetically when she thought of how Alex would be perceiving this overstated tank-like car but she quickly changed the subject – "It is going to be a great night, Vause, that girl I got together with the last time we went out to the beach club is now the DJ here and she is really good, like REALLY good" she nodded at Alex as she said it with a stupid grin on her face and Alex just rolled her eyes and let out a deep, husky laugh .

They pulled up to the venue a couple of minutes later and Nicky asked her driver to fetch them at three unless she called him earlier. The crowd of smokers outside on the pavement and those who were just waiting to have their tickets exchanged for stamps on their wrists all seemed to be quiet for a second to take in the new arrivals before continuing with their conversations. Nicky pulled out the tickets and they were inside at the circular bar in a matter of seconds. They each ordered a drink and Nicky insisted on ordering a round of tequila "to get things going".

The burlesque show would start in about half an hour so both women spent some time talking to people they knew who were also out for this party. The burlesque theme was a new flavour to the scene. The girls were not skinny, they were curvy, decadent and mysterious in a way. Alex wandered off to the bathroom before the show and saw through a slit in a section of divider curtains, a blonde girl squirming with one hand reaching over her own shoulder and the other reaching behind her back trying to get the clasps on her corset up to within reach of her own hands. Alex stood for a moment contemplating this blonde girl who looked far too slender and fresh-faced to be performing in a burlesque show but soon decided to offer some help.

"Oh thanks that would be great! I'm new to this and I've never performed in front of anyone other than my training group before. Getting into these outfits is treacherous."

"It looks that way. How is it that you are here doing your first performance, isn't it more daunting performing in front of a group of women?"

"My boyfriend, Larry, thought it would be a good idea, a safer space than a mixed crowd but I don't think he realised that a girls only party would probably mean that the girls are mostly there, well… with girls"

"I know what you mean. But I think that you are going to do absolutely great." The deep tones of this woman's voice were like a warm caress to her shaken nerves. She wasn't sure what to make of it but she liked her, liked her hand closing up her bodice, loved her eyes and her mouth and how tall she was.

"Wow." She says absentmindedly before: "Hi I'm Piper."

"It's good to meet you, Piper, I'm Alex."

There was that voice again...

"You are all laced up and ready to go, you're going to be fantastic out there! Come and find me afterwards and I will buy you a drink."

"Thanks. And I might just take you up on that!"

Alex heads out and makes it back to Nicky's side near the bar just as the music is toned down to allow the hostess for the evening to announce the start of the show.


	4. Chapter 4

Leaning against the circular bar counter, Alex and Nicky are both sipping their drinks and looking over the crowd as the hostess on the small stage at the one end of the venue playfully models her fish net stockings, red heels, tailored jacket and top hat, the applause from the crowd tones down as she starts to speak.

"Welcome, ladies, to our first burlesque party of the year. We have a gorgeous line-up in store for you tonight!" The crowd seems very pleased with this announcement. "We would hate to keep you waiting so let's get on with the show; first up, we have the delectable Desiree!"

Enthusiastic cheering and clapping welcomes the curvaceous brunette onto the stage while the intro to her number starts to rumble over the massive speakers. She is good, she has rhythm and interacts well with the crowd but Alex finds herself looking to the left of the stage instead, to the tiny parting in the dark fabric that is draped to cover the entrance to the dressing area searching for the sweet blonde with the gorgeous blue eyes until she realises it. "What the hell are you doing, Alex" she reprimands herself "straight girls are always trouble".

"She turns around to face the bar and stops just as she was about to offer Nicky another drink so as not to interrupt her friend's conversation with a slightly younger girl in a white, button-up shirt, the collar of which is flipped up. Their heads are close together and from the half-shocked-yet-amused expression on the younger girl's face where it is framed by Nicky's shoulder, Nicky seems to be doing one of her usual numbers which, surprisingly, usually ends with her not leaving alone.

Despite many other girls waiting for service, the bar lady is patiently staring at Alex who mouths the words "Jack Daniels" to her, the trumpet solo blaring through the speakers makes shouting seem futile. The bar lady nods and goes about her drink pouring duties. Several pairs of eyes have made their way up and down Alex's tall frame by now but she has not been paying much attention to any of the other partygoers. The drink appears on the counter and Alex returns her focus to the stage where the brunette finishes her number and takes a bow - she throws her curly locks back over her shoulder with some dramatic flair and without bothering to cover her now-naked breasts she makes her way off the stage and slips back into the muted light beyond the drapes.

Finger snaps can be heard over the speakers, the familiar start to "Why don't you do right?" Applause erupts suddenly as first a leg, punctuated by a bright red stiletto heel, and then the rest of a sequin-clad body appears from the parting in the draped fabric. Even Nicky and her popped-collar-companion abandon their conversation and start cheering as a blonde woman makes her way onto the stage with remarkable ease for someone in such high heels.

She moves beautifully, almost as if she is wearing the music. The crowd is enthralled, the cheering is deafening and instead of the startled, wide-eyed girl who could not get her outfit on properly without some help, there is something hypnotically sensual and purposely provocative in way she moves on stage. Her hips are tilted and she arches her back, throwing her head back slightly when her blue eyes finally find the green pair that she has been searching the audience for, she does not break eye contact. A little smile creeps over her face and for a moment, albeit a fleeting one, Alex Vause is really not sure what on earth to do with herself.

"I didn't know you were in town!" – the voice is too familiar and the timing as bad as ever./p  
"Next time I will be sure to send you my itinerary."/p  
"Oh come on Alex, saying hello won't kill you. I can't wait to update you on everything that is going on in my life!"/p  
"I think that you are overestimating my interest in the subject, Sylvie, I'm not doing that lesbian thing with you where we are all friendly again after you screw me around…" "Shouldn't you go and look for Danielle?"

"She went for a cigarette, she will be back any minute, I'm sure she would love to see you!"

Alex tries to keep the look of disbelief off her face but she clearly fails as Sylvie shakes her head and says: "It really would be nice if you could just get over it and have a conversation, Alex."

"What don't you get, Sylvie?! I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to see Danielle and it isn't because I'm not over it, I just don't like either of you."

From the smoking section Nicky could see the annoyed look on Alex's face at the bar from a mile away and in combination with Sylvie's expression as she stormed past her to grab her girlfriend by the arm and drag her into the nearest waiting cab, it was clear that the two had bumped into each other. She never liked Sylvie. The feeling was mutual. It looked like Alex took this round like most of the others since Sylvie betrayed her. Nicky always enjoyed the heated exchanges between Alex and Sylvie so she was sorry that she had missed this one.

"How about a shooter, then?" Nicky says as she hops onto a bar stool at the cocktail table just to the left of the bar where Alex has now taken a seat.

Alex sees the popped-collar making her way back through the crowd and right behind her is Piper.

"Definitely! My round!" She jumps up and darts over to the bar without another word.

Nicky shrugs off Alex's puzzling behaviour and attributes the uncharacteristic enthusiasm to a rush of adrenalin after the encounter with Sylvie. "This is Piper – the sudden shouting near her ear to be audible over the loud music makes her flinch but she puts out her hand and says "Hi, I'm Nicky!" to the blonde who was pulling a bar stool closer to the high table, hoping that she could lip read over the noise.

"Mandy and I went to school together!" The blonde shouts indicating in the direction of the girl that Nicky had been working on taking home.

"Small world!" Nicky shouts back, grateful to see a tray with four Jagerbombs appear on the table. Awkward conversation with gorgeous strangers is nothing new to her but the choice between these two girls, not to mention the possibility of playing for both at once is just too tricky.

It is only when Nicky sees the smile on Piper's face when she looks up and recognises Alex that she knows that she had no chance with the blonde to start with.

The burlesque show has drawn to a close. The hostess announces the best dressed partygoer and hands over the prize. The DJ takes over and the music sets the scene for the rest of the evening.

"Dance with me!"

Alex looks surprised for a second - then she grins and gets up off her chair. She lets the blonde lead her onto the dance floor and the second they face each other, it looks like they have been in each other's space for years. They move easily together, just far enough not to touch and just close enough to make everyone around them stare a little longer than they should.

Piper's back is to Alex as the song finishes and when she reaches over her shoulder and guides the taller woman's mouth to her own, her head turned sideways, a question mark, then an exclamation mark and then a fireworks display fills Alex's mind.

The next song starts and Alex twirls Piper around, it just looks like a slick start to the next song's dancing but the stakes have been raised a little now. The dancing is hotter, the space between them forgotten and while Alex wonders whether Larry is real, Piper is not sure how to make sense of how easy it feels to be right there, in that moment with this enigmatic woman. Her thoughts evaporated into the music along with every reflex to fight whatever this is.

One song seems to melt into the other and by the time that they notice the dance floor starting to clear, Nicky comes by with Mandy to check if Alex wants a lift home. Alex declines. She would take a cab back to her place. It is time to call it a night and they make their way outside a couple of cabs are still waiting nearby. "So is Larry is waiting for you?"

"Larry is really my ex, so no, he is not waiting for me. I drove here from Llundudno, my car is in the basement parking."

Alex jumps at the opportunity.

"That's not a great drive to do at night and you've had some drinks. Come and stay over at my place, it is a couple of blocks from here, you can come and fetch your car in the morning."

It didn't take much convincing – they get into one of the waiting cabs and are on their way back to Alex's apartment within seconds.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I've quoted a scene from S2 E10 – It belongs to the show and its writers and I hope they will forgive me for borrowing it. Thanks for reading!**

The streets are quiet and the cab ride to Alex's building only takes five minutes. Alex pays the driver and unlocks the main entrance gate by punching in a code on a small key pad against the wall. The air is still and warm even though it is just after 3am.

Piper trails behind her and looks around sceptically. She wonders if she has made a huge mistake leaving the club with this woman who she only just met. The building does not look like an apartment block at all and scenes from the crime channel start creeping into her thoughts.

"Come on in." Piper hesitantly starts moving toward Alex who sees the worried look on her face. "This used to be a workshop, now the first three floors are design studios and the top floor is my apartment." The explanation helps ease her doubts slightly and Piper climbs into the freight elevator with Alex. Her hand brushes against Alex's but she resists the urge to take it; she will let her steer the situation.

The elevator rattles to a halt and Alex flicks a switch against the wall. Piper's trepidation is forgotten when the light reveals the interesting space in which this unusual woman lives.

"What an amazing place… and the view is just _un_believable!" She gestures with big eyes to the long section of windows through which the harbour lights are twinkling as though Alex was somehow unaware of the view she had from her apartment.

"Thanks, I was lucky to find it." The words came with a genuine smile at the innocent looking blonde's excitement. "Can I get you to drink? We can sit on the balcony, the view is even better from there."

For as long as they were dancing at the club, neither of them drank much so a nightcap was a welcome suggestion; it would also give Piper some time to think about how she wanted the rest of the evening to go. Piper did not want to rationalise what it was that made her kiss Alex at the club. She did not want to think too hard about how easily they moved together and how she felt while she was dancing with this incredibly attractive woman. She had never thought of herself as anything but straight and trying to put the exhilaration of that kiss and the surprising yet undeniable desire for more into any sort of perspective right now seemed unnecessary.

"A glass of wine would be great, red, if you have, please."

Alex smiles at the choice "when in wine-country…" She pulls a bottle of red wine out of the rack, grabs a cork screw out of the drawer and two glasses from the cupboard. Piper is circling around the apartment, looking for any clues that might give her a fuller sense of Alex but aside from good taste in interiors and a love for books, judging by the large collection on a shelf against one of the weathered clay brick walls, there isn't much to be detected.

"How long have you had this place?"

"I bought the building a couple of years ago, the market was great for buyers then but it took me a while to get around to remodelling it so I have only been using it for about two years".

"You don't _live_ here then?" Piper does not want to hear a "no" from Alex but she does.

"I travel a lot for business and I spend most of my time between Paris and New York. I'm only here for a couple of nights on this trip. I'm flying out on Monday."

It isn't what Piper wanted to hear but she is used to things not going her way. She takes the glass of wine that Alex is holding out to her and they head out onto the balcony where Alex sits down on a large outdoor couch. Piper considers sitting on one of the single couches but given the newly revealed time constraints she decides not to pass up on the opportunity for closeness and settles down on the same one as Alex. The view really is magnificent and Piper takes a minute to take it in while sipping on her wine before she asks the obvious question.

"Are you single?"

Alex chuckles at the question. "Yes, I'm very single" then raises an eyebrow. Tilts her head slightly to the side and adds with a cocky grin "why? Do you have plans that I should know about?"

"N-no, um, no, I mean…"

"Hmmm, I was hoping you did."

For a second, Alex wonders if she has lost her mind blurting that out – she has gone out of her way not to get involved with anyone. When she has decided to have a sexual encounter, it has been calculated and she made a point of keeping her distance but here she is laying her cards on the table and leading this girl on.

She knew she would be leaving town soon and that it would be easier not to get sucked into any emotional nonsense that way. She had long since learnt her lesson not to be a science project for confused straight girls but _this_ gorgeous blonde with the big blue eyes and innocent smile is different. Alex knows that she is probably going to be sorry eventually if she pursues whatever this is but at the same time, she can't suppress her curiosity about where this might lead. Ego, lust, genuine interest –it is all a little blurry and that is perfectly alright with her right now.

Alex's grin is still in place but Piper doesn't believe that she is joking. Alex sees the look on the blonde's face. It is somewhere between surprised and shocked and she is suddenly unsure of herself. This is not something that happens to Alex often but perhaps she misread the situation completely so she tries to downplay it.

"Relax, kid, a kiss is just a kiss. We can hang out here for as long as you want and then I will sleep on the couch."

"Really?"

"It's great couch, trust me I've" – the sentence is interrupted when Piper leans over and for the second time tonight pulls Alex's mouth onto her own. The kiss is soft but intense and a couple of seconds into it, Piper pulls away, just far enough to say "I wasn't talking about the couch. A kiss is definitely not just a kiss to me."

With that, Alex leans back in, this time it is more urgent than before and Piper's fingers are entangled in Alex's long dark hair. Alex has her one arm on the back rest of the couch and the other is running up the side of Piper's body, exploring the outline of her ribcage and the curve that her breast makes. "We should take this inside" Alex mumbles against Piper's mouth. There is a groan in agreement and Alex snakes her arm around Pipers's back to pull her up off the couch, reluctantly breaking off the kiss "hold that thought…" Piper smiles and as they head inside, Alex locks the door and switches off most of the lights in the apartment so that it is only the bedroom and bathroom area that is still illuminated. She playfully nips at Piper's neck from behind as she catches up to her.

"I'm covered in glitter from the makeup for the show, would you mind if I detour through the shower?" and then adds with a naughty smile and exaggeratedly big blue eyes "you could join me."

"And there I was thinking that you are a shy straight girl!"

"I am! Shy, I mean, the rest is, I guess, undefined right now"

Alex wasn't sure if Piper had wandered into female territory before but from this last statement, it seems safe to assume that this is a first for her. Alex turns on the hot water in the shower and grabs an extra towel from a shelf under the plinth on which the twin basins stand to the side of the open plan bedroom bathroom area. She turns back around to find Piper busy tying her hair up, her hands occupied behind her head for a moment, Alex steps closer to her and backs her into the glass door of the shower, pinning her hands above her head and kissing her mouth briefly before moving down to her now exposed neck. She hangs the fresh towel on a hook beside the shower without lifting her head. Every little hair on Piper's body reacts – she never liked it when Larry kissed her neck but the way that Alex's mouth and breath feels on her skin makes her entire body tingle. Her hands are released from behind her head and Alex quite casually starts taking her clothes off.

First her shirt is pulled up, she dutifully lifts her arms while the brunette slips it over her head and off her arms. In doing so she obscures her vision for a moment and takes the chance to sneak a peek at the petite blonde's semi-exposed body; she decides that this is definitely worth bending her own rules for.

Piper slides her hands in under Alex's shirt and undoes the clasp of her bra. Alex lifts her own T-Shirt over her head while Piper undoes her jeans. In a matter of seconds, the two are pressed against each other with no barriers whatsoever separating them. The feeling of breasts rather than a hairy chest pressing up against her nipples is new to Piper and she pulls Alex closer as though she wants more. They move into the shower, Alex adjusts the temperature of the water slightly. She moves circles around Piper where she stands in the middle of the cubicle to settle back into the embrace of the blonde's kiss and lazily runs her hands over the unexplored, warm, wet, naked skin.

Alex reaches for some shower gel and both of them are soon covered in soapy slipperiness. They maintain as much skin contact as possible and take turns to wash each other down, kissing in between. When the soap is rinsed away, there is little time for drying off - neither woman seems to be able to wait for what they both know will follow.

They tumble down onto the bed. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Alex asks although the question seems completely obsolete. She doesn't want to come across as too predatory.

It is met with a semi-breathless "Yes!" and an exasperated look.

That is all the encouragement she needs and she runs her hand along the curve of Piper's right breast, she loves the way the perky mounds look now against Piper's horizontal chest. She works her way down laying a trail of kisses along her neck and over her collar bone before taking each nipple in her mouth in turn, gently circling it with her tongue and ever so gently grazing over it with her teeth. Piper arches her back a little, trying to get more from Alex who obliges by tugging gently with her teeth to elicit a satisfying little growl which makes her smile to herself.

She makes her way further down Piper's body, her hands and mouth teasing their way across the soft, smooth skin of her toned stomach and down towards the neatly groomed little tuft of hair. The blonde looks down into the beautifully mysterious green eyes that look up at her across the landscape of her torso as if to communicate what they want her to do; there is only a moment's self-conscious hesitation before she shifts aside a little to allow Alex some room to move down in between her legs.

Alex runs her tongue down from the bottom edge of the neat little tuft until she feels Piper's clit under its tip, a flick over it causes a jolt of her hips against Alex's mouth and Alex slides her left hand in underneath her hips to get some more control. The grinding continues although less erratically when Alex settles into a rhythm of sucking and flicking her tongue over Piper's clit and the blonde is audibly enjoying it… A lot. Piper is very wet, they both are, but Alex is much too focused on giving her new lover an experience she would never forget to be distracted by her own desires for the moment, at least. She teases a little by entering the blonde only slightly with two fingers. This makes her raise her hips and Alex gets the message; her mouth is still very busy when she slides her fingers deep into the silken warmth and feels the walls tighten around them momentarily before they relax again slightly. She looks up at Piper, her head is tilted to the side, her eyes are closed and her breathing is fast. There is certainly no any indication that she is hurting her and she adds a third finger; it is accommodated fairly easily but leaves Alex with very little room to manoeuvre. As it turns out, she doesn't need much because within a couple of deep thrusts, her fingers are constricted in the build-up to an orgasm that soon, loudly, washes over her.

Alex looks pretty pleased with herself as she crawls up the length of Piper's blissfully satisfied body.

"Horrible wasn't it?"

"The worst. You're really bad at that" Piper teases.

"Can I do you?"

"You don't have to ask!"

"I've never… Really…"

"Gone down on a woman before?!"

"I mean… No."

Alex giggles.

"What kind of Lesbian _are_ you?"

"The boob-touching kind…"

"Alright, are you ready to take the plunge.. so to speak?"

"Are you gonna coach me through it?"

"Yeah…"

Piper mimics Alex at first. She gets the brunette onto her back and starts kissing her moving downward to her chest when she decides not to be too predictable. She positions herself next to Alex and coaxes her onto her side. From behind her, Piper moves Alex's hair out of the way to give her unhindered access to her neck and leaves kisses all over her shoulders, over her back and she takes a moment to lick over the dimples at the base of Alex's spine. A playful bite on Alex's butt gets a small moan out of her but when Piper slinks her way in between Alex's legs and she slides her fingers along through the pool of wetness that had formed there it is Piper who sighs, turned on beyond her own expectations by the silky wetness under her fingers. Alex hears this and turns onto her back. She wraps her legs around Piper's back, catching her off guard and delivering the intended result – with their faces up close to one another, Piper supports her weight on her one arm and her right hand finds its way back to the unexplored territory between Alex's thighs. The kissing gets hotter as Piper's fingers make their way up over Alex's clit, the intense sensation of the slickness and heat that they bring with them reminds Alex just how badly she would like this woman to take her to the edge – the edge of reason, of passion, of sanity, it doesn't really matter right now as long as she gets to go to that edge and beyond.

Any anxiety that Piper felt melted away into Alex's kiss and she moved down to where her fingers were already very busy. She looked up at Alex as she licked over her clit, then took it into her mouth and relished the effects it had on this tall, unbelievably beautiful creature now at her mercy. It was surprising how in touch she felt and how easy that made it to know what to do. She slid two fingers into Alex, the moan that rewarded this was deep and hoarse. It was followed by increasingly ragged breathing until finally she could feel an orgasm clench down on her fingers. As Alex's body relaxed, she pulled Piper back up to her and the blonde listened to Alex's heartbeat slowly easing back to normal. As the day broke over the harbour they both fell asleep. Alex only barely managed to press the button to close the automated curtains in her blissfully post-coital state.

It was still dark in the apartment when Piper became aware of the soft flesh beneath her hand – they hadn't moved and she was lying on Alex's shoulder, with her hand on her chest.

"Morning" the voice was like honey – she settled back onto the shoulder and lazily ran her hand over Alex's tummy.

Alex kissed the top of her head. For the first time in a long time she did not feel the need to inwardly reprimand herself for her choices. "I'm making coffee, stay in bed".

She disappeared for a couple of minutes and returned with two freshly brewed mugs. They had their coffee in bed, it was around lunch time already and they watched the sunlight playing over the bay.

"I need to leave tomorrow."

"I know and that sucks" Piper says with a face that would put any puppy dog to shame.

"Why don't you come with me?"

"To Europe, are you serious?"

"Yeah, come with me, I will buy you a ticket."

It took about twenty minutes to "think about it" before the Alex called and booked another ticket.

What this would become they could not have guessed but neither of them were willing to pass up on the possibilities of what it might turn into.


End file.
